Miner’s gift to Pia Wadjarri community as good as gold

Imagine driving 400km into Geraldton to buy food and hygiene supplies, only to find supermarket shelves emptied of the items you most needed. This is the situation Pia Wadjarri Aboriginal community members in Murchison Shire faced in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis. Meenangu Wajarri chair Jennylyn Hamlett said they approached industry for support as their remote communities struggled to purchase the supplies and also lacked bulk storage facilities. “EMR Golden Grove offered their assistance without question,” she said. “The community now has a freezer, fridge and storage solution that will provide benefits for Wajarri Yamatji people now and for the foreseeable future.” The company, which has a mine near Yalgoo, spent almost $200,000 fitting out, transporting and installing three 40-foot ‘seatainers’ with refrigeration equipment to Pia Wadjarri. Meenangu Wajarri chief executive Daryl Smith said traditional owner Dwayne Mallard did most of the negotiation and liaison. “He was able to source some infrastructure for Pia Wadjarri through EMR Golden Grove who really have exceeded all of our expectations,” he said. “We now have got this long-term infrastructure out there in the event that there’s phase 2 of the virus or if there’s a fire or floods.” Mr Smith said the facility could then be used by the greater community. EMR Golden Grove general manager Nick Mosenthal said they were proud to assist with the “valuable contribution to the community’s independence and well-being”. “The impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need and the urgency for this support to allow the residents of the Pia Wadjarri community to remain self-sufficient.” Mr Mallard negotiated a similar donation from Rio Tinto company Dampier Salt for Buringurrah Aboriginal Community in Upper Gascoyne. Dampier Salt’s general manager Brendon Brodie-Hall said his team was eager to support the local community.